1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to molded plastic parts, and more particularly to the manufacturing and design of overmolded plastic parts having decorative features.
2. Description of the Background Art
Currently, the demand for electronic devices (e.g., computers, cellular phones, PDA's, etc.) is becoming increasingly more dependent on aesthetics. Of course, much of the overall aesthetic appeal of such a device is influenced by its enclosure (e.g., housings, battery covers, bezels, etc.) design. Accordingly, more and more emphasis is being put into the enclosure design of such products.
Typically, electronic device enclosures are formed by a single injection molding process wherein both the rigid structural features and exterior surfaces are formed simultaneously from the same melt. Although traditional enclosures function adequately and can be manufactured very efficiently, they appear outdated and, therefore, have little appeal in the modern consumer electronic market.
In efforts to improve the appearance of enclosures, manufacturers have implemented many different plastic decoration technologies. For example, painting, pad/screen printing, dye sublimation, vacuum metallization, plating, and laser marking are some of the known plastic decoration technologies used by manufacturers to color and/or form decorative features (e.g., logos, design decals, patterns, etc) on the outer exterior surfaces of enclosures.
Although such decorative features can improve the appearance of enclosures, there are drawbacks and/or significant limitations. For example, when decorative features are applied to the outer exterior surface of an enclosure, a protective hard-coating must be formed over the decorative features, because the features are extremely vulnerable to abrasive damage, even during relatively light use. Of course, such wear substantially degrades the appearance of the enclosure, particularly when it results in the visibility of the underlying molded plastic.
What is needed, therefore, is an improved design and method for manufacturing device enclosures having decorative features. What is also needed is a design and method for applying decorative features to products without the need for hard-coating.